Brake Pad choice.

[garboui]

I know there is or are threads covering this but after spending 30 mins in the search i had given up.


Well after switching to the winter wheels i have noticed how incredibly low my rear pads are. This is somewhat of a mixed blessing because now i can get rid of the incredible dust forming rear pads that Mazda has decided to put on the car. also because of this im not going to go with an OEM pad for replacement.

im starting to lean towards the hawk hps pads although because they are more of a performance pad i am worried that there will be too much difference between them and the front pads. are there other pads that people can recommend that are reasonably quiet (i don't want squealers), low on brake dust similar to out fronts, and will perform > or equal to the stock pads. is there a certain pad compoind i should look for to satisfy my needs?


im also considering new rotors possibly although not necessary since my rotors are decently smooth still.

[CanadaGTO]

Hey there,

The Hawk HP+ are Hawks performance pad not the HPS. The HPS are more of and OEM replacement, but from what I've seen they are better on dust.

Another options are EBC Greenstuff.

PM me if you'd like pricing on either, the HPS are a good price, and I have them in stock right now :)

[Fuman]

Unless there is excessive rust or grooving, I don't see a need to change your rotors. If you use your old rotors with new pads, it may take longer for your pads/rotors to become set for each other (i.e. brake pad material transfer may take longer). Fang gave a good resource with regards to rotors:
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=238744&postcount=8
(Keep in mind when he quoted me, some of the things I said are incorrect. Read through the article and you'll see what I mean.)


You may also want to see how much dust HPS pads produce compared to OEM/alternatives. Look up the pad's Coefficient of friction; EBC lists theres but I can't find the values for HAWK. Based on my memory EBC Greens (.55), Reds (.50). Another question is: how is the heat tolerance of the pads (i.e. brake fade), what is the working temperature? For example, HP+ will have a better heat tolerance the HPS. HP+ should have a higher working temperature than HPS. In the EBC line, Reds will have better heat tolerance than the HPS but also have a higher optimal working temperature. Good luck hunting for pads.

[donaldtin]

i guess i am on the same boat!! i can't really stand the OEM rear pad that gives sooo much dust! i checked the pad, should last for another while, but starting to look for market replacement.

seems like lots of guys here uses Hawks HPS, i saw on their website and ceramic seems like a good fit for me as all i wanted is low noise and low brake dust, and 100% i won't be doing any track / high performance stuff... so anything close to OEM will fit for my situation.

"cta patrique", what's the cost for them, and wat's my options?? Please PM me.

[CanadaGTO]

Ceramics are nice, in fact I run them on my MS3. Hot braking is very good. Keep in mind that they are not available for the fronts on the Mazda3, only the rears. PM me for pricing.

[Fuman]

i guess i am on the same boat!! i can't really stand the OEM rear pad that gives sooo much dust! i checked the pad, should last for another while, but starting to look for market replacement.

seems like lots of guys here uses Hawks HPS, i saw on their website and ceramic seems like a good fit for me as all i wanted is low noise and low brake dust, and 100% i won't be doing any track / high performance stuff... so anything close to OEM will fit for my situation.

"cta patrique", what's the cost for them, and wat's my options?? Please PM me.
EBC makes Redstuff for both front and rear for mazda 3.
The are supposed to be on the same level as HP+

[Junior]

From what I've read, the HP+ is a race pad. To prevent brake fade and increase stopping power, but they will give off mad dust and tend to bit a bit 'noisy' compared to OE pads. They would probably be awesome if you're Auto-Xing or tracking the car.

HPS (High Performance Street) - What I got, perform like OEM, low dust and no noise. I don't know if there was a huge difference in stopping powers over OEM, cause I've gotten used to them by now, but there may have been when I originally installed them 2 years ago. I changed the pads at the same time I did the rotors to X-drilled Brembos, and they've been working pretty pro 'til now. No complaints.

Pro.

EDIT: This is all about the Hawk Pads.

[garboui]

nice, thats good to hear. ive all ready decided on the hps and this only reinforced my decision for me. they seem to fit my bill of wants an needs pretty well.

thanks for the help and input guys.

[MAZDA Kitten]

My Green Stuff give off a lot of dust I'll be going with Hawks next

[TurboEight]

+1 for some Hawk ceramic.